Linda Gray has said Dallas forged the way for daring drama on TV, and has left a legacy of similar shows.

The 71-year-old actress returns as matriarch Sue Ellen Ewing in the revival of the hit show which begins on Channel 5 next month, also starring original cast members Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy, and introducing a new generation of Ewings.

Linda said: "Dallas started a lot of those shows. It was a night-time family drama with very dysfunctional people.

"Dynasty came out, all kinds of wonderful things, we were the forerunners, we also brought out many plotlines which weren't very popular at the time, Miss Ellie had a mastectomy, Sue Ellen was a female alcoholic, and lots of things which weren't on television before, a lot of people were taken aback, they'd not seen it portrayed in a drama before."

Linda says fans should expect more gripping storylines in the new series. She said: "I think it's more of the same but there's a quality about this new show. It's different in a nice way."

Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson and Desperate Housewives hunk Jesse Metcalfe are among the new younger members of the cast.

Jordana revealed the drinking may have been toned down, but the show was even more raunchy.

She said: "It's much more wholesome, I noticed that. Before it was, 'good morning' would you like your cocktail? There's less of that. It's a bit outdated, it's like smoking.

"There's a lot of sleeping around, in the second season we're going to push the envelop even further."